Notre-Dame de Bétharram Abuse Scandal Raises Questions About Accountability

Allegations of decades-long abuse at a Catholic school in France involve over 110 victims, with scrutiny on Prime Minister François Bayrou's past actions.

Over 110 complaints detail physical and sexual abuse at Notre-Dame de Bétharram from the 1960s to 2011, with victims describing systemic violence and humiliation.
A Facebook group started in 2023 helped uncover the scale of abuse, leading to an ongoing investigation by the Pau prosecutor's office.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, whose family had ties to the school, faces allegations of failing to act on reports of abuse during his tenure as education minister in the 1990s.
Victims and witnesses claim that Bayrou was informed of the abuse decades ago, though he denies knowledge of the sexual violence until recently.
Calls for reform in the oversight of private Catholic schools in France have intensified, with critics highlighting systemic protection of such institutions by local elites.